A Gentle Shove Is All It Takes
by sars25
Summary: Will Daniel & Betty realise their feelings for one another, with a little help from their friends & family before it is too late?.......
1. Chapter 1

**A Gentle Shove Is All It Takes.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ugly Betty or any of its characters, unfortunately...

**Rating:** T (PG-13)

**Pairing: **Daniel / Betty

**Summary: **Will Daniel & Betty recognises their feelings for each other, with a little help from friends and family before its too late...

**Author's Notes: **Ok this is my first ever attempt at fanfic, so reviews would be greatly appreciated, but please be kind & go easy on me!!!!!

Chapter 1

Betty's morning started no different to any other. She awoke to the sound of her alarm clock, and slowly sat up in bed. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she reached across to the bedside table, and felt for her glasses, accidentally knocking them on to the floor. Reaching down to retrieve them, she leaned just that little bit to far, and fell straight out of bed into a undignified heap on the floor. Cursing herself for her clumsiness, she located her glasses, and as putting them on, looked up at the clock. As her eyes focussed she realised the alarm must have been going off for a while, as she had exactly 20 minutes to get ready, have breakfast & get to work, before Daniel arrived so that she could have his coffee & bagel ready for his arrival.

Betty jumped up off the floor, and proceeded to grab her clothes & run into the bathroom to get ready.

Running down the stairs, she grabbed her coat and ran into the kitchen to grab the breakfast her father had inevitably made her.

"Wake up late, did you mija" Ignacio said without turning around, from where he was standing washing up.

"yeah, I've gotta rush I don't want to be late, thanks for the breakfast dad" betty said, as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sure Daniel wouldn't mind if your 5 minutes late mija" Ignacio said smiling.

"well I'm sure he wouldn't, but that's not the point, I've got loads to do this morning, and at any rate I don't want to disappoint him" she said as she turned to leave the kitchen " and put that coffee down, you know you cant drink it"

"Anyone would think you had eyes in the back of your head mija" Ignacio said as he begrudgingly tipped the coffee down the sink.

As betty left the kitchen, and ran through the living room she shouted bye to Hilda who was telling Justin to hurry up and leave for school before he was late.

"bye betty, see you tonight" Shouted Hilda, " yeah have a good day at work aunt betty" Justin said as he tried to stop his mum from dragging him out of the seat where he was sitting watching fashion TV.

Ignacio had made his way out of the kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee, and as he heard the front door shut, he watched Betty through the living room window, running off down the street, still pulling her coat on and nearly dropping her breakfast in the process. He let out a little chuckle as he turned round to go back into the kitchen and finish tidying up, thinking about betty's leaving words.

Ignacio knew Daniel would not be disappointed in Betty if she was late, It would take a hell of a lot more for Betty to disappoint him than that. He had noticed the way Daniel looked at his daughter when he came round, even if Betty hadn't, how could he not, Daniel looked at Betty the same way he himself had looked at Betty's mother and he wondered how long it would take either of them to realise their feelings for each other.

It was obvious to him that his youngest daughter had started to think of her boss in more than a platonic way. There was plenty of tell tale signs, the way she smile subconsciously at the mention of his name, the way she dropped whatever she was doing, including Henry, to be there for him when he needed her, and most of all the look in her eyes when he paid her a compliment.

Yes Daniel had his faults, including his reputation for being a ladies man, but Ignacio couldn't help but like him. Betty bought the best out in Daniel, and in return Daniel did everything he could to impress Betty, even if it did mean keeping her till all hours of the morning, working with him on layouts. Although Ignacio had a sneaking suspicion that the main reason for those late night working sessions, was more so that Daniel could spend time with Betty alone.

He knew that Betty thought she was in Love with Henry, and as much as he thought Henry was a decent bloke, he knew Betty was only going to end up having her heart broken when he left for Tucson, and he had to admit, although Henry was leaving to do the right thing and help bring up his child, he couldn't help but resent him a bit for ultimately breaking betty's heart.

However Ignacio knew that betty's heart would soon mend with the help of Daniel. He knew Daniel would do whatever it took to put a smile back on his daughters face, and he loved him for that.

He knew he couldn't tell his daughter outright about what he had noticed as she would deny it all completely, professing her undying love for Henry, and laugh off his observations as ridiculous, and as for Daniel, well he had no place telling him his feelings, at any rate he thought that deep down Daniel already knew he had feelings for Betty but was unsure of exactly what those feelings were.

No he had to let love takes its course, however a few hints & a gentle shove in the right direction wouldn't hurt he thought, smiling to himself as he sat down just in time to catch the start of his favourite telenova.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ugly Betty or any of its characters, unfortunately...

**Rating:** T (PG-13)

**Pairing: **Daniel / Betty

**Spoilers: **this story is based after the episode Odor in the court. Due to channel 4 not airing this episode yet, I have not seem it!!  however I do sort of know what has happened, due to watching Detty videos!!

**Author's Notes: **Ok thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, im really grateful and glad you all seem to be enjoying it. So here is the next chapter which includes Claire meades opionion on Daniel & Betty's relationship.

Chapter 2

Daniel rolled over and looked at the clock, it was 6.15am and he knew there wasn't any point in trying to go back to sleep now, instead he lay there staring at the ceiling thinking about the dream he had earlier in the night. The same dream he had had a number of times over the last couple of months, and the same strange dream that somehow excited and terrified him at the same time.

It wasn't the fact that he was dreaming about her that scared him, no not at all, he spent most of his time with her & they were friends so of course he would dream about her. But what excited & scared him at the same time were the feelings he held for her in these dreams, the feeling he got in the pit of his stomach when she looked at him with those beautiful big brown eyes, that he wanted her to become more than just a friend, and the fact that in these dreams, he loved her!

But what scared him the most was that he had that exact same feeling in the pit of his stomach now, and had done ever since he had awoken from this particular dream. He shook his head, no he and Betty were just friends, very good friends, but none the less just friends. It was obviously just because he had been spending so much time with her, and he wasn't going to deny he cared about her, of course he did she was the only person he could completely, hole-heartedly trust. He decided that the fact he still had this feeling in his stomach, was because it was now 7.15am and he had been lying awake for a hour going over & over this dream in his head, he was obviously just hungry.

He knew that this was a pretty lame excuse, as he never ate before he got into work. But that wasn't the point, this morning he was obviously just extra hungry. He tried to decide what he could have to eat as he got out of bed and made his way into the bathroom for a shower, but he knew this was useless, as he had nothing in except coffee and some left over Cantonese food which had been in the fridge for about 3 weeks, and there was no way he was going to attempt to eat that.

Just as Daniel was coming out of the bathroom he heard the buzzer go for the front door. He assumed it would be his mother as she had said she wanted to go into work with him today, so that she could collect a few things out of Bradford's office. But he wasn't expecting her this early! Usually he would still be lounging in bed at this time. He walked over to the intercom & pressed the button.

"Hello Daniel Meade" he said

"Daniel its your mother, let me in its freezing out here"

"Err ok mum, doors open" Daniel looked at the intercom.

She had been coming over to see him a lot lately, after his Dad had died, moving back into their massive house all alone had been a lot for her to take, and she was extremely lonely. Alexis had gone back there for a while, but she needed her own space, and had now gone back to live at her apartment.

So Daniel had been seeing a lot more of his mum, which was nice, he just wished that it had been under better circumstances. He heard the tapping of her heels as she walked down the corridor, and went over to open the door just as she knocked.

"Morning mum" he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning Daniel" she said "I wasn't expecting you to be up, I even bought you a coffee"

"Thanks mum" Daniel said smirking "I'm not always up late you know"

"hmm, ok if you say so" she said lifting an eyebrow at him "So why are you up so early?"

"oh well I err couldn't sleep" he said rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Daniel you usually cant sleep, but the reason for that doesn't usually make you get up, it makes you stay in your bed" she said looking around her "So I assume by that, im safe to go and sit down, and that im not going to walk in on Miss Thursday"

"Very funny mum" Daniel said sarcastically "You know very well Im not like that anymore"

"No I know, and I believe I have Betty to thank for that" she said smiling at him with a slight glint in her eye.

"I don't know what your talking about mum, me and Betty are just friends, its not like that" Daniel said defensively.

"I meant Daniel, that she has become someone you can trust and confide in, so you don't feel the need to sleep around to try and forget your problems." She laughed "I meant she was rubbing off on you, not up against you"

Daniel stood there rooted to the spot, staring at his mother. He could feel his cheeks going red, and he'd got that feeling in the pit of his stomach back, his palms becoming sweaty at the thought of betty rubbing up against him. "Stop it Daniel" he said to himself, not realising he had said it out loud.

"Stop what?" Claire said looking at him inquisitively

"Oh err nothing" he said quickly as he felt the burning sensation in his cheeks increase even more. "I'm just going to go and call the town car to come and pick us up"

Claire watched her son as he quickly scurried away towards the phone and smiled. She knew he had feelings for Betty deep down, and that little display of emotions had just confirmed it as far as she was concerned.

She knew Betty wasn't exactly Daniels usual type, but she was glad of that. She had always hated the fact that Daniel slept around, and never committed to anybody. She thought that after the whole Sofia fiasco that Daniel would go back to his old ways, sleeping with every model that walked through or anywhere near the mode doors. But no Betty had been there to pick him up, brush him off and rebuild his confidence, and had kept him on the right track.

Claire had become very fond of Betty. She admired her spark & enthusiasm, and trusted that Betty had Daniels best interests at heart. But After Bradford had died, she'd seen a side to Betty and Daniels friendship she hadn't noticed before. She saw the pain on Betty's face when she knew Daniel was hurting, She saw the happiness in Betty's eyes, when Daniel smiled and laughed with her. She had seen the way Betty truly believed in her sons abilities, irrelevant of what anybody else said or thought, and made sure he knew it. But most of all, she could see the love in their eyes when they looked at one another.

If only they would realise, what they had between them. They were perfect for each other. She knew Henry was going to be leaving soon, and she was worried that Betty would want to leave with him. She just had to try and find a way to make them see they were perfect for each other, before it was to late.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ugly Betty or any of its characters, unfortunately...

**Rating:** T (PG-13)

**Pairing: **Daniel / Betty

**Author's Notes: **Ok thank you again for all your lovely reviews. Hope u enjoy this next chapter, and please review and let me know what u think!! Chapter 4 will b up soon!!

Chapter 3

Betty managed to weave her way out of the crowd of people in the subway remarkably quickly, once outside she stopped just for a second to gain her breath, and check her watch. She had 5 minutes to get Daniels breakfast and get to mode. She knew Daniel liked the bagels and particular brand of coffee that the quaint little shop down the road from the mode offices sold, and she thought that she was going to be late now whether she liked it or not so she may as well get him something nice to make up for it.

She ran as fast as she could down to the shop, and ordered a coffee and a cream cheese bagel for Daniel, and a coffee for herself. While she waited, her mind started to stray to the upcoming events of the weekend. Henry was going to be leaving to go back to Tucson, and she wasn't looking forward to it in the slightest. She hated the fact that the man she loved, who said loved her too, was leaving her to be with another woman, and his child. She knew it was the right thing to do, but had somehow hoped he would change his mind. Originally she had said that she would not go to see him off at the airport as it would be to hard for her, but he had managed to talk her round. She wished she had just been that little bit stronger and stood her ground, as she just couldn't bear the thought of having to say goodbye.

Suddenly in the back of her mind she could hear a voice calling her, and she snapped out of her train of thought.

"Excuse miss! Your orders ready" said a small, shy looking young girl from behind the counter.

"oh err yes, sorry, here you go." Betty said passing the girl the money, and flashing her a smile. "thank you"

"Thank you, have a good day" the young girl called after her

"oh and you" betty shouted back as she ran out the shop.

Betty ran non stop all the way to the Meade building, straight through the doors and managed to get straight in the elevator without stopping. She smiled to herself as the lift starting making its way up to the mode floor. She had managed to get from the coffee shop to the Meade building through all the crowds of people without spilling a single drop of coffee on herself, and she was only 5 minutes late.

The lift doors pinged and opened on the mode floor and Betty darted out, she dashed down the corridor and straight past the reception desk, where Amanda was sat painting her nails.

"Morning Amanda" she said as she scurried past

"Your late Betty" Amanda remarked without looking up

"Really, never I thought I was early" Betty retorted as she made her way down the corridor towards her desk.

As Betty rounded the corner to her desk, she ran straight in to Henry knocking her coffee which she had managed right up until now to not spill a drop of.

"Betty im so sorry, are you ok, your not burnt are you" Henry said with concern, as he grabbed some tissue off her desk, and tried to wipe her shirt clean.

"No im fine Henry, don't worry about it!" Betty said snappily, without meaning to.

Betty looked up into Henrys eyes, and immediately felt bad for snapping at him. Much more calmly she said.

"Look honestly its fine, don't worry about it, I would have probably chucked it over myself at some point anyway you know how clumsy I am. I'm sorry I didn't mean to snap at you, its just that im late. And I really need to get Daniels breakfast to him, ill speak to you later alright?"

She watched his face turn from concerned to slightly angered within seconds. She knew she had just snapped at him, but she had apologised just as quickly, so she wasn't quite sure what she had done.

"Are you ok Henry" she said

"You have never bought me my breakfast betty" Henry said pointedly.

"Well that's because you can get your own breakfast Henry" Betty said slightly annoyed "What's this all about"

"Well Daniel can get his own breakfast, but that doesn't stop you doing it for him" Henry stated, as he glared at her.

Betty could feel the anger building up inside her. "That's not the point, I'm Daniels assistant, and I have always got him his breakfast, you know that she said" starting to raise her voice slightly " What exactly is your problem with that Henry"

" Well it seems to me that you care more about getting Daniels beloved breakfast to him, and snapping at me in the process, than talking to your boyfriend who is going to be leaving at the weekend. I thought you would want to see as much of me as possible until then, but I was obviously wrong"

"How dare you Henry" she said almost growling " You're the one who is leaving his girlfriend at the weekend, to be a father and ultimately spend all his time with another woman. Not just any woman but the mother of your child, And your trying to make me feel bad for bring Daniel some breakfast. Your just being pathetic Henry, and if that's how your going to be then yes your right, I would prefer to take Daniel his breakfast than talk to you"

And with that Betty turned her back on Henry, and walked away towards her desk. Leaving Henry standing there staring after her.

"Betty I'm Sorry I " Henry said quietly but before he could finish Betty cut him off "I don't want to hear it Henry, just go away. I'll c u later"

Henry looked at Betty's back, and turned away looking down at the floor as he walked off. Betty turned around and watched him go, as a single tear rolled down her cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ugly Betty or any of its characters, unfortunately...

**Rating:** T (PG-13)

**Pairing: **Daniel / Betty

**Author's Notes: **Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, and advise. I hope you like this chapter. Its turned out a bit longer than I wanted, but once I started writing it I couldn't stop. As always please review. Thanks

Daniel was in his office sitting at his desk, while his mum was sitting on a chair by the window looking at some paperwork, she had taken out of Bradford's office. He had noticed that Betty was late, not because he was annoyed by this, but because he was worried. Betty was very rarely late, if ever, and he was worried that she was maybe sick. Although it was only just gone 9.00am, Betty was usually in at 8.30am. He knew this because by the time he normally got in at about 9.00am she was already working away happily with his breakfast perched on the side of her desk.

He had been watching Henry loitering round by her desk, obviously waiting for her to come in, and for some reason it annoyed him. It wasn't that he didn't like Henry, it was just that he didn't think Henry was good enough for Betty, after everything that had gone on between him and that girl Charlie. He had tried to warn Betty, but she didn't want to know, and he had only ended up hurting her feelings in the process, so he had then taken a back step and let Betty get on with it, instead deciding to just be there when she would inevitably need him, after having her heart broken. Who was he to give her relationship advice anyway, he didn't exactly have a good track record with relationships himself.

He had always just slept around with women, moving from one to the other without a second thought for their feelings, to be honest their feelings hadn't crossed his mind until he met Betty. She had slowly over time changed the way he looked at things, and he was sure he was a better person because of her.

He didn't want Betty to get hurt, she didn't deserve it, and what made the whole situation worse, and him even angrier at Henry, was the fact that Betty after getting back together with Henry had supported his decision whole heartedly, without thinking about her own feelings once.

He looked back up from his desk to see Henry still waiting around her desk, and he was thinking about getting up and telling him that he paid him to work, not to stand around, when her saw Betty come flying round the corner hands full, straight into Henry, chucking coffee all over herself in the process.

Daniel jumped up to go out and make sure Betty was ok, but stopped as he saw Betty's highly irritated look, disappear as she looked up and met eyes with Henry. Daniel sat back down at his desk, and was completely shocked at how Jealous of Henry he felt at that particular moment.

Claire sat in the window smiling to herself, she had stopped looking through the documents she had in her hands a long time ago, and had been sitting observing her son for a while. She had noticed him keep looking at the clock, and had seen the dagger like looks he was throwing in Henry's direction, however she had watched the tension wash off his face in an instant, the moment Betty had rounded the corner before running straight into Henry. She had never seen her son, move from his desk so quickly, and then stop dead again in his tracks, disappointment filling his eyes as he sat back down, still watching the way Betty interacted with Henry.

She could tell he was Jealous by the way he was sitting, holding his body rigid as he watched them, tapping the end of his pen continuously on the table. She was sure he had completely forgotten she was there, not that she minded, it meant that she got to see a side to her son, she had never seen before, and a side that she would quite like to see a lot more of.

As Daniel sat watching Betty and Henry outside his office, he saw the look change on Betty's face, it stated off as quite a puzzled look, quickly turning into one of complete anger. He watched intently as Henry stood there looking annoyed, yet slightly shocked at Betty's demeanour, and then suddenly Betty exploded with anger. Daniel had never seen Betty lose her temper like that, and was adamant Henry must have said something awful to warrant such an explosion. He stood up from his seat, and went to go out of his office door, with the intention on throttling Henry for whatever he had said to make Betty so angry, when he heard someone say

"Daniel, I know you always wanted to be a knight in shinning armour, but somehow I don't think this is the time or the place"

Claire knew exactly what Daniel had intended to do the minute he had stood up from his desk. His fists clenched with a mixture of anger and frustration at the fact that Betty was so obviously upset.

Daniel stood still for a second, staring out of the window, to where Betty had calmly walked away from Henry, keeping her back to him so that he could not see the pain, on her face.

Without saying a word he slowly turned round to look at his mother, he had completely forgotten she was even in his office. He saw a smile slowly creep across her face, and before she could say anything he said

"What are you smiling about"

"Why don't you tell me" she said standing up from her seat.

"I don't like to see Betty upset, especially when the person upsetting her, is supposed to care about her"

"I see, and you thought that going out there and throttling him would solve all her problems, right?" Claire said as she moved closer to her son, sitting down on the edge of his desk.

"Who said I was going to touch Henry?" Daniel said defensively "I was just going to go out and tell him to get back to work, I don't pay him to upset my staff"

"Daniel, I know exactly what you intended to do, You always used to stick your chest out like that and clench your fists, before getting into a fight with Alexis, Well Alex as she was then"

Daniel looked at his mum for a moment, before looking down at his feet. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked across to stare out of his office window.

"Yeah well, he would have deserved it" Daniel said under his breath

"I'm sure he would have done, but do you honestly think Betty would have thanked you for it?"

Daniel turned to look at his mum. As much as he didn't like to admit it, she was completely right. Betty would not have thanked him at all, and to be honest he had no right getting involved. He walked back over to his desk, and smiled at his mother.

" She might not of thanked me now, But she would have done, when she realises what an idiot he is" He said with a cheeky grin on his face.

Claire just laughed, she knew he knew she was right.

"So, why were you staring at your assistant so intently before your little macho display" Claire said, looking at her son intently.

Daniel stared at her for a second, not sure of what to say. He realised she must have been watching him the whole time. He could feel his cheeks burning up as her turned red.

"I err didn't realise I was" he said unconvincingly "I was just thinking, that's all"

"Oh I see, so do you always stare at Betty when your thinking Daniel or was it Betty you were thinking about?" Claire said, amusement at her sons reaction evident on her face.

Daniel was about to reply rather sarcastically to his mothers question, when he heard his office door open and in walked Betty the object of their conversation.

"Morning Daniel, sorry im late I somehow managed to, oh sorry I didn't realise you were in here Mrs Meade, well I wouldn't do would I as I didn't knock, I must remember to start doing that! Sorry to interrupt, I'll come back in a minute"

"Don't be silly Betty you aren't interrupting anything of importance, me and Daniel were just chatting that's all" Claire said looking at Daniel and smiling.

Daniel squirmed in his seat slightly, unsure of what his mother would say about their previous conversation in front of betty. He looked back at Betty, and smiled, he stood up and walked round to the front of his desk, perching himself on the edge.

"So what were you about to tell me?" he said flashing her one of his smiles

Betty loved it when he flashed one of those smiles at her. She very rarely saw them given out to anybody else, and they made her feel appreciated, something that Henry had definitely managed not to do this morning during their completely unnecessary argument.

Betty stood there frowning to herself, when she realised she still hadn't replied to Daniels question. She looked back up from her feet, and saw Daniel looking at her, concern and something else which she couldn't decipher at the minute in his eyes.

"err yes sorry! I was in a little world of my own then" She shuffled her feet, feeling the colour rise in her cheeks " Yes sorry im late Daniel, I somehow managed to sleep straight through my alarm clock this morning, Im really Sorry."

"Thanks ok Betty" Daniel said smiling "I'm not bothered that you were a couple of minutes late, as long as your ok"

Betty smiled at him. A lot of people didn't get to see the caring side of Daniel Meade, and she always felt very privileged to get to see this side of him so often.

"No I'm fine Daniel, apart from being soaked to the bone, after managing to throw my cup of coffee over myself, after I was so impressed with myself for getting all the way here with out spilling a drop"

She looked down at her top, and noticed she was still holding Daniels Breakfast in her hand.

"Oh yes, and I stopped and got you your Breakfast from that Little Coffee shop you love so much just down the road, to make up for being late, although I expect its probably cold now, Sorry"

"That's ok" Daniel said taking the breakfast off her "It's the thought that counts."

He looked at his assistant standing there, soaked in coffee, and realised that in the whole time they had worked together he had never got her breakfast once. He decided it was his turn to be the thoughtful one.

"How about I call the town car, and we take you home so that you can get changed, and we can stop off on the way back and have some breakfast and a nice hot coffee each, while talking over this months layout."

"Oh no Daniel, its fine. You don't have to do that"

Daniel walked over and put his hand on Betty's shoulder. He looked down at her

"I know I don't have to Betty, but I would like to" He said "and anyway I can't have you catching a cold from sitting around in wet clothing, who would I have to help my with the layout then"

He flashed her one of his trademark smiles, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok, you win" Betty said laughing "I'll just go and get my coat"

Betty turned to walk out of the room. "Bye Mrs Meade" She said smiling.

"See you soon Betty, and please call me Claire"

Betty nodded, and exited the room still smiling to herself.

Daniel turned round and walked to his desk, picking his phone up he called for the town car to come and pick them up. As he turned back round he saw his mum smiling at him. He realised that Alexis wasn't going to be in the office till later on in the day, and he didn't really fancy leaving his mother in the office by herself, in case Whilemina made one of her impromptu visits to try and convince them to give her the Creative directors position back. He didn't really want to ask his mother to come along, as he wanted to have a chat about what had gone on between Betty and Henry this morning, but he was hardly going to leave her by herself.

"Would you like to come with us mum" Daniel said

"I'd love to Daniel" she said smiling "I'll just get my things together"

Daniel nodded and walked out of his office towards Betty's desk.

Claire watched him and smiled, she loved to see her son happy. Thinking back to the mornings events she grabbed her belongings and walked out to meet Daniel and Betty, there was no way she was going to miss this little breakfast outing for the world.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ugly Betty or any of its characters, unfortunately...

**Rating:** T (PG-13)

**Pairing: **Daniel / Betty

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this chapter has taken a while, I've been so busy I just haven't had time to write. So I hope this makes up for it!! As always please review, Thanks.

Betty sat in the town car gazing out of the window, she was so angry with Henry for the way he had spoken to her this morning, she couldn't believe the way he had acted. She knew he could be Jealous because of the way he was with Gio, but she never thought he would get all defensive about Daniel. The more she sat and thought about it the more riled over the whole situation she could feel herself getting. Who did he think he was to tell her what she could & couldn't do for Daniel, no she had never got Henry his breakfast but so what, was there some sort of unwritten rule that stated if you pick up your bosses breakfast, you must do the same for your boyfriend. She loved Henry to bits but it had annoyed her that he got so possessive over her friendship with Gio, let alone Daniel. How he had the cheek to complain about her, when he was going to be leaving in less than 48 hours to live with his ex-girlfiend and their baby was the thing she found the hardest to stomach. Ever since they had got back together, Betty had done nothing but try and support Henry's decision and for him to turn on her like that this morning had really hurt her. As she continued to stare out of the window, she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder, she turned around to see Daniel looking at her, concern evident on his face, his hand still rested on her shoulder.

"Are you ok Betty" he said, worry apparent in his voice

"Yeah I'm fine Daniel, why do you ask?"

"Its just that you have been staring out of the window now for about 10 minutes, frowning, and muttering to yourself under your breath"

"Oh, I see, I didn't realise, I'm sorry" Betty said feeling herself going red.

"you've got nothing to apologise for Betty" He said smiling at her gently "Now you know you've always been rubbish at lying to me so Betty please tell me what's wrong"

Betty looked at him, he still had his hand lightly rested on her shoulder, and she could see the concern in his eyes as he looked back at her. She couldn't help but smile when she looked into those big cobalt blue eyes. Most people just saw the outside shell, a man who was sexy, extremely confident with women, and a player, not bothered with his conquests feelings only there dress size. However Betty knew that you should never judge a book by its cover, Daniel once you really got to know him, was none of those things. He was caring, thoughtful, and a complete gentleman, he had his faults as did she but she wouldn't change him for the world, well not that much anyway maybe just his confidence in his own abilities.

Betty suddenly realised that she had been staring at Daniel like she had some sort of teenage crush, and blushed profusely as one of Daniels trade mark smile's broke out across his face.

"Ok, ok, you win, honestly I'm fine, I just had a little argument with Henry that's all" Betty said quietly

"Ok, would you like to elaborate?" Daniel said looking her straight in the eye.

"Err well it was nothing really" Betty said glancing out of the window for a second trying to think of a reason for the argument other than saying it was him! "It was just over my Breakfast."

Daniel looked at her puzzled for a second, and then laughed "Betty what do you mean, you had an argument with Henry over your Breakfast?"

"Exactly that Daniel. I came running round the corner, with my coffee and your breakfast in my hand, and I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going as per usual, and collided with Henry throwing the coffee I had managed not to spill all over myself on the way from the coffee shop, straight down my top." Betty said, as she felt the anger coming back to her as she thought back to the argument. "I snapped at him, he snapped at me, and we got into an argument over breakfast! That's it!"

Daniel looked at her, he could see her whole posture had changed, the frown had returned to her face, and her body had gone rigid! He knew Betty far too well, there was no way she would get worked up over something so silly. Especially as Henry was due to leave this weekend. As Daniel went to speak he heard a voice from the other end of the town car say

"Somehow Betty I think you have missed out a little information. I'd like to think that while you have been working with my son I have got to know you quite well. I have only ever seen you react like that once, and that was when you confronted that lying witch Sofia about the way she treated Daniel. So what are you forgetting to tell us my dear"

Betty felt her stomach begin to churn and she realised as she looked at Claire Meade's face that she had witnessed the whole argument from within Daniel's office. She didn't want to tell Daniel that the argument had been over him, it wasn't his fault Henry had decided to be a jerk, and secondly Daniel would probably laugh at the fact that Henry appeared to be Jealous of him. Its not as if Daniel would ever have feelings for her in that way, she wasn't exactly his type. Not only that she hadn't realised anybody had seen the ear bashing she had given Sofia. She quickly glanced at Daniel and saw the look of surprise on his face.

Daniel spun round to see his mother, sitting watching the too of them quietly. He had completely forgotten she was there. He knew what she was saying was right, however he didn't feel it was her place to say.

"Thank you for your words of wisdom mother, However I would prefer it if on this occasion you kept them to yourself"

Claire nodded, and looked out of the window, however she made sure she kept watching them through the corner of her eye. She knew that argument had to have something to do with Daniel by the way Betty reacted, and she wasn't going to miss out on what had happened, it all added to her theory that Betty & Daniel had feelings for each other.

Daniel looked back at Betty, who was staring down at the floor of the town car. He was sure he could see a tear rolling down the side of her cheek. He could kill his mother, she just had to say something and now she had succeeded in upsetting Betty, he hated to see Betty upset. He moved his hand off her shoulder and took hold of her hand, taking Betty by surprise and forcing her too look straight into his eyes.

"Betty please ignore my mother's motor mouth! She has a tendency to get involved in things, she should know to keep out of. She didn't mean to upset you"

"Oh no Daniel, she didn't upset me" Betty said looking across at Claire, and seeing the relief on her face.

"Good because that wasn't my intention Betty" Claire said honestly.

"I know" Betty smiled back at her.

Daniel wanted to ask Betty what had happened between her and Sofia, he never knew that Betty had confronted Sofia about what she had done, however that would have to wait till another time. This wasn't about him it was about Betty.

"So what are you not telling me about this argument Betty" Daniel said quietly

Betty looked down at her hand, Where Daniel was still holding it gently. Without looking up she said "As I said it was over Breakfast, only it wasn't mine it was yours!"

Daniel looked at her, a confused expression spread across his face. "So your trying to tell me you had an argument with Henry over my Breakfast. I don't get it"

Betty sighed, she wasn't going to be able to get out of this without explaining exactly why they had been arguing. She could tell by the look on his face he wasn't going to give up easily.

"Yes Daniel we argued over your breakfast" she said laughing bitterly "It started because I said I didn't have time to speak to him as I was late and needed to give you your breakfast. He then glared at me and said that I had never bothered to think about getting him any breakfast, but I get your Breakfast everyday without a thought!" Betty looked away from Daniel, and out of the window " I told him he was quite capable of getting his own breakfast, and that I was your assistant and that's what assistants do."

She looked back at Daniel, the hurt evident in her eyes " he then basically told me I cared more about you and your breakfast than spending time with him before he leaves"

Daniel watched the tears roll down her face and felt the anger building up inside him. However he had for a moment felt stupidly happy when Betty had said she cared more about him than Henry, but just as quickly the anger had taken over again "You wait till I get hold off him, I'll.."

Betty cut him off abruptly " You'll nothing Daniel. I have already told him he is the one that's leaving to live with someone else and their child not me" the tears welling up in her eyes again "It was just a stupid argument, I mean come on Daniel as if Henry really has any need to be Jealous of you!"

"What do you mean by that?" he said defensively.

"Oh come on Daniel, you know why! You wouldn't look at me twice. I'm not exactly the model type." Betty snapped slightly

Daniel looked at her tear stained face. He took his left hand up to her face leaving his right hand tightly gripping her hand, and gently wiped the tears off her face. "Betty you shouldn't put yourself down. Your much better than any model! "

Betty laughed at him "Stop it Daniel, you don't have to say that just to make me feel better for a second time. I didn't believe you when you said it on the bridge and I'm not goanna start now"

"I'm not, I mean it Betty. Your kind, caring, loyal, and just because you don't look like a model doesn't mean your not beautiful in your own way." Daniel lifted Betty's head up gently with his hands so that he was looking straight into her big brown eyes "Id kill for someone to care about me the way you care about Henry, and he's an idiot for leaving you Betty Suarez, don't you forget that."

Betty stared into Daniels eyes, and she could see that everything he had just said he meant. No-one had ever said anything that nice to her before. She realised Daniel was still tenderly holding her face, looking into her eyes, and felt herself getting hot, and her hands getting clammy.

Daniel could feel his stomach starting to churn again as it had so many times already that day at the sight of Betty both in his dreams and in reality. He glanced down at her lips, suddenly noticing how full and luscious they looked under the natural coloured lip-gloss she was wearing. He looked back up into her eyes, and felt his heart begin to beat faster.

Claire was sat observing this interaction between the pair quietly. She smiled to herself they were so wrapped up in their moment they hadn't even noticed that they had pulled up outside the Suarez House. She had known all along how these to felt for each other it was so obvious, no she just had to get them to admit it!

Claire coughed loudly, and chuckled to herself as they both jumped out of their skin, turning to look at her, embarrassment obvious on their faces, as Daniel quickly dropped his hands down off Betty's face to his side.

"I hate to interrupt your little erm conversation" She said smiling "But we have been sat outside your house for about 5 minutes now, and your father is looking out of the window probably wondering what is going on"

"Err yes, I'm just goanna go and get changed. Your welcome to come in and wait. Ill be as quick as I can" Betty said

Betty quickly grabbed her things, and jumped out of the town car. Daniel glared at his mother, and turned to get out of the car.

"So are you still going to tell me after that little display you have no feelings for Betty Daniel?"

Daniel stopped and turned back round to look at his mother " We are just friends, yes I care about Betty but not like that, so just leave it ok!!" He then turned and got out of the car. However he couldn't help nut think about what his mother had just said.

Claire gathered her things, and also got out of the car. She would usually have waited in the car, but she knew Betty's I wont be long was an understatement. She watched Daniel greet Ignacio at the door warmly.

"You might not think you love her my dear, but boy are you goanna get a shock when you realise your wrong!" she chuckled to herself as she walked up the path to where Ignacio was waiting to greet her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ugly Betty or any of its characters, unfortunately...

**Rating:** T (PG-13)

**Pairing: **Daniel / Betty

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this chapter has taken a while, I've been away on my Hen weekend, and so have only just had the chance to get it finished and posted. I'm afraid it's a bit of a long one but I wanted to try and get across how Claire and Ignacio reach the decision they come to Please review, as always its appreciated. Thanks.

"Hello Mrs Meade, Please come in" Ignacio said warmly

"Thank you, Mr Suarez, I'm sorry to intrude but my son insisted on bringing Betty back to put on some dry clothes after her coffee mishap, before taking her out to Breakfast." Claire said as Ignacio took her coat.

"Please call me Ignacio, Mr Suarez sounds so formal, and don't be silly your not intruding, Daniel is always welcome in our house, and so therefore are you Mrs Meade"

"Well thank you, that is very kind Ignacio, and in that case please call me Claire.

Ignacio and Claire both smiled at each other in acknowledgement and went through to the kitchen. Daniel was standing in the living room talking to Hilda about Justin's next roll in his school performance, and Ignacio smiled. He turned to Claire and said

" Would you like a cup of coffee? If I make you one I might be able to get away with having a cup myself before Betty catches me"

Claire Laughed " Yes please, that would be lovely. Thank you Ignacio."

"So how come Daniel is taking Betty out for Breakfast, She literally ran out of the house this morning, panicking because she thought she was going to be late, and needed to get Daniels breakfast. She was worried Daniel would be disappointed in her if she was late" Ignacio said passing Claire a cup of fresh coffee.

"Thank you. Really! I doubt that very much Ignacio, I don't think your Daughter would ever be able to disappoint my son"

Ignacio turned and looked at Claire. He saw the telling smile she had on her face, and knew straight away that she had come to the same conclusion as he had regarding Betty and Daniel.

"I see and why would that be" Ignacio said

Claire smiled at Ignacio and raised her eyebrows "Lets just say I think my son cares for Betty more than he either lets on or realises."

Ignacio laughed "I would agree I'd say your right on Both counts, I also believe the same applies to Betty's feelings foe Daniel. I know that Betty holds a very high opinion of Daniel, She won't hear a bad word said against him, however she is also very loyal, and as much as she cares for Daniel, she also cares for Henry"

"Yes, I have no doubt of Betty's loyalty on either part, Its just a shame that Henrys loyalties are else where, whereas Daniels loyalties lie firmly back with Betty and I don't think any amount of pushing or shoving could budge them. Its just a shame that Betty herself has not yet realised that!" Claire said looking at Ignacio

Ignacio knew what Claire was saying was right, but he wanted Betty to be happy, and as much as he despised Henry for leaving his daughter, he knew that Henry did indeed make his daughter just that. Betty had supported Henry's decision, and had gone back into a relationship with him wholeheartedly knowing that he was going to have to leave. He had heard them talking about weekend visits, and he knew they were planning on trying to make their relationship work long distance. Daniel on the other hand idolised his daughter, that was obvious, and he knew that Daniel would never intentionally hurt her. He was just worried that if they were to realise their feelings for each other, and made an attempt at a relationship, that however good Daniels intentions were, they would not be able to make the relationship work, leaving Betty devastated, and in the process ruining a friendship which had become so important to both of them. He looked back at Claire and said

"My daughter is very strong minded, and always has been, a trait she inherited from her mother I must say. She wont be told what to do by anybody, and is adamant that her and Henrys relationship will make it through this. Since they got back together their relationship has been built on trust and honesty, traits that are very important to Betty, and as far as she is concerned my opinion or anybody else's does not matter. The only person who can change that decision is Betty herself, and all I can do is support whatever that may be"

Claire nodded, she knew that Ignacio was trying to say in a round about way that it didn't matter who he though was the best person for Betty, all that mattered to him was that she was happy and if that meant being with Henry, then that is what he would have to except. She knew it wasn't her place to meddle in Betty's love life but she felt a rather strange maternal pull towards Betty, and it didn't help that the person she thought was best for Betty and visa versa was her son. She understood completely what Ignacio was saying however she didn't believe that Betty and Henry's relationship was as stable as Betty was leading her father, herself or anybody else for that matter to think. Especially not after the display this morning. She turned to Ignacio, and said quietly.

"I care about Betty like one of my own Ignacio, something I'm sure you understand, by the way I saw you greet my son this morning" She looked up at him and watched him nod before continuing " She has done so much for my son, and has supported him through thick and thin when I myself was unable to and has given him the loyalty and belief that he craved so much from his father. I owe more to Betty than I could ever repay, and of course just want to see her happy weather that be with Henry or my son. However I don't think she is as happy with Henry as she makes out, and I don't want to see her make a decision that i'm sure in the future she will regret."

Ignacio looked at Claire for a moment without saying a word. He had never really had the chance to have a proper conversation with her, and was quite taken aback at how forward she was being about his daughter. However he could see from her expression, and the sincerity in her voice that she was telling the truth.

"What makes you think that?" Ignacio replied

"Since Bradford passed away, I have struggled to fill my time. I can't stand being in that big house all by myself, so have been spending a lot of time with Daniel, and a lot of time at the office." She looked across to the living room and saw that Daniel was still deep in conversation with Hilda about Justin so continued "I have noticed the way my son and Betty interact, and I am sure that their feelings for each other run much deeper than just friendship."

Ignacio Smiled and shrugged his shoulders " On that I agree with you completely, I've seen the way Daniel looks at my daughter, and there's no denying he is in love with her, however he is not willing at the moment to admit that."

"No I agree. But I think that is because he is scared of being hurt, Scared of putting his heart on the line like he did with Sofia, and being rejected again. Even though he knows Betty would never intentionally hurt him like Sofia did, I think that doubt in the back of his mind is what is stopping him admitting his feelings to himself or Betty for that matter."

Ignacio agreed completely, he had seen the aftermath of Sofia's actions, and had no doubt that Daniel was scared of getting his fingers burnt again. "I can understand that. However none of this explains why you think Betty and Henry's relationship is not as strong as they say"

Claire smiled "Lets just say I have only ever seen Betty completely lose her temper on two occasions, and I must say for such a petite girl she has one hell of a fiery temper when she lets go"

"Again inherited from her mother" Ignacio laughed

"One of those occasions was about a month ago when she confronted Sofia Reyes in the entrance hall to Meade publications one night as she was leaving because she heard her laughing with a colleague about Daniel. I have never seen someone rip a woman apart with such ease verbally, by the end of it, Betty had reduced that witch Sofia to tears. The second occasion was this morning with Henry!" Claire looked up to gauge Ignacio's reaction, and saw that he was intrigued and listening intently "They got into a heated argument outside Daniels office this morning over Daniels breakfast of all things, Henry insinuated he believed Betty cared more about Daniel than spending time with him."

Ignacio became stony faced " Betty has done nothing but support him, when as far as i'm concerned, she should have dropped him on his ass the minute she found out about the whole sorry mess."

"I'm sure after what I've seen she would be quite capable" Claire laughed " She certainly gave Henry a tongue lashing for what he said, but what I think is most important, is that she didn't deny what Henry had said, in actual fact she turned her back on him, put her bag and what was left of her coffee down on her desk, and walked straight into Daniel's office without another look or word at Henry"

Claire smiled as she looked across to where Daniel was standing. Betty had now joined him after changing into dry clothes, and she was talking to him and Hilda. Daniel was staring at her, listening to what she was saying intently, a boyish grin plastered across his face. She sighed to herself, if only Bradford could of seen his son wasn't the playboy he thought he was, and that it was in actual fact he who had found Daniel his perfect partner.

"You can't Deny the look" Ignacio said to Claire quietly

"Hm, pardon" Claire said confused at what Ignacio meant.

"I used to look at my wife the way Daniel looks at my Betty, you can't deny that weather that boy wants to admit it or not, he's got it bad!"

Claire smiled she knew exactly what Ignacio meant by the look, she had always felt she looked at Bradford in a way, that she would never look at anybody else again, and she suddenly realised she had a lot in common with Ignacio. They had both lost the love of their lives unexpectedly, and had both struggled to come to terms with it.

"I used to look at Bradford in a way, I know I will never look at anybody again. Don't get me wrong, Its not that I think its impossible to fall in love with somebody else, Its just that I am a strong believer in only having one true love. I'm sure one day I will be part of a loving relationship again, I just know that person isn't my soul mate because my soul mate was Bradford the one person who I gave the look.

Ignacio looked at Claire, the understanding evident in his eyes, he saw the single stray tear roll down her cheek momentarily before she wiped it away " I agree completely" Ignacio said with sincerity "If you are ever at a loose end and fancy a coffee and a good chat, you are always welcome in our home Claire"

Claire smiled, and nodded she knew Ignacio meant what he said, and she also knew that she would take him up on his offer. It was a good feeling to have someone to talk to who knew exactly how she felt. "Thank you Ignacio, I really appreciate that."

Ignacio looked back over at Daniel and Betty, and had Claire's words circling in his mind. He too believed you only ever had one true love, one soul mate, and he wasn't about to let Betty lose hers, because she wasn't ready to admit she had found him, in someone other than Henry.

"I'll help you" Ignacio said suddenly, still looking intently at Daniel and Betty

"Pardon" Claire said quietly

"I'll help you get Daniel and Betty to realise and admit to their feelings for each other. I was thinking about what you said, and there's no-way i'm going to let Betty lose her one true love, I'd never forgive myself" Ignacio said

"Good, I was starting to think, you were never going to agree" Claire said smiling at Ignacio.

As Claire and Ignacio stood laughing, Betty and Daniel walked over to them. Daniel smiled it was a while since he had seen his mother looking happy, and couldn't help but smile at the fact that the one family who were always able to bring a smile to his face, did exactly the same for his mother. He was so lucky to have Betty in his life, he thought to himself, as they came to a stop by the side of their parents.

"Sorry I took so long, I had to have a quick shower, the coffee had soaked through my clothes." Betty said apologetically.

"So you ready mother" Daniel said "I promised Betty I would buy her some breakfast and if we don't make it there soon, they will have stopped serving it. I wouldn't want to break my promise!"

"No, No you get going my dear" Claire said casually " I'm just going to finish my coffee, and stay and have a chat with Ignacio. I'll get the town car to come and pick me up, and ill meet you back at the office.

Daniel looked at Ignacio, who nodded at him in agreement. He looked back at his mum, suspiciously, who just gave him one of those heart melting smiles of hers.

"Ok well if your sure, We will see you back at the office. Goodbye Ignacio" Daniel said shacking Ignacio's hand "Come on then Betty, are you ready?"

Betty gave her father a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then smiled and said goodbye to Claire, She then turned and looked at Daniel, a mischievous look in her eye.

"Come on then Daniel, ill race you, first one to the car gets to pick were & what we have for breakfast" She said, the laughter evident in her voice.

Daniel stood and looked at her for a second, then suddenly he shot towards the door, his boyish grin plastered across his face. "Your on" he shouted to Betty as he ran out the front door.

"Hey you cheated" Betty shouted laughing as she ran out the door after him.

Claire and Ignacio just looked at each other and smiled. They both knew in the instant that what they were going to do was the right thing. They just had to decide how they were going to achieve it.


End file.
